Once again the buddy cop genre has succeeded in dishing out another mediocre film. “Ride Along,” which premiered Friday, is but the latest in a string of mediocre, sub-par buddy cop films, that started with 2010’s “Cop Out”.
The movie tells the story of of high school security guard Ben Barber (Kevin Hart), who dreams of becoming a police officer. However, Ben’s girlfriend and soon to be fiancée, Angela (Tika Sumpter), demands that Ben convince her brother, Detective James Payton (Ice Cube), to support their marriage. Unfortunately for Ben, James thinks he’s incapable of protecting his sister. In an attempt to dissuade him from becoming a cop and from marrying his sister, James brings Ben on a speed chase throughout the city.
Despite its promise of comedy, this movie is not funny in the slightest. I got in one, maybe two chuckles throughout the whole film, without any real laughs.
The movie relies heavily on slapstick humor and overly vulgar language considering its PG-13 rating. But most of the time, the audience seemed to be feeling a little uncomfortable, and not humored by the “jokes”.
Ben, a fast-talking, cop wannabe and James, a tough, veteran detective, are polar opposites. The film frequently tries to exploit the inherent humor in their contrasting personalities with varied degrees of success. Although the two demonstrate great chemistry, they never really reach their full comedic potential.
The film’s one upside was Laurence Fishburne’s portrayal of Omar, a ruthless crime lord and the main antagonist of the film. His Matrix-esque delivery was my favorite part of the film.
Needless to say, “Ride Along” is the same old buddy cop film rehashed into a version that delivers a lot fewer laughs.
